Filled Up

We've just experienced two days of perfection! Beauty, flowers, sunshine, light breezes ...

Today I practiced T'ai Chi Chih outside until the bugs got bad. It was time to leave for a friend's house anyway. So off we went ... to a wonderful dinner and discussion about our friend's recent experience at a 10-day Centering Prayer retreat.

It was inspiring to hear our friend talk about how the silent retreat affected her inner self. She came back home with specific changes she wants to make in her habits and daily activities. And she's motivated to continue her Centering Prayer each day as well.

Her description of how she felt inside as she slowed and quieted herself into the present reminded me of T'ai Chi Chih practice. For me, I get a daily half-hour dose of centering meditation when I engage in my TCC practice. It may not be as life-changing as a 10-day retreat but both efforts take discipline and commitment. And, as my friend remarked, if you want to have a spiritual life, you need to make a choice to engage in a regular spiritual practice.

After dinner I came home and finished my T'ai Chi Chih practice indoors. I felt energy moving through my body and slowness filtering through my muscles. And I felt deeply grateful for the opportunity to share in my friend's retreat experience. What a gift to be filled with the fullness of the present moment!